Potter and Riddle
by alwaysaclaw11
Summary: When Chloe Riddle, the mysterious granddaughter of Lord Voldemort, transfers to Hogwarts at the start of Harry Potter's fifth year, Harry and Chloe begin a secret relationship that could get both of them killed.
1. Malfoy and Riddle

Over the summer Harry had survived a dementor attack, a trial and Voldemort's violent return. Most people refused to believe him, but it was all true. Harry was ready for things to calm down, but he would have no such luck.

At the start of the year banquet, Dumbledore stretched his wrinkled hand toward a girl who stood a head above the first years. She glided toward the wooden stool where had sat himself five years ago. "We have new student joint us this year. A fifth year transfer from the Salem Institute of Magic. Chloe Riddle."

Harry froze. His eyes following the back of the brown-haired girl, her black cloak billowing behind her like a dense and stormy fog.

"Did he just say?" Ron whispered to Hermione who was sitting to Ron's left.

"Yes, Ron." She elbowed him.

"Harry? Harry!" He could hear Ron calling his name beside him, but Harry's eyes transfixed on the girl… Chloe Riddle. How was it possible? Maybe her name was just a coincidence.

Riddle slowly ascended the steps and sat on the stool as all the first years had done. Harry's heart caught.

It was no coincidence.

Harry remembered Tom Riddle well from his second year. This girl was his spitting image. His female spitting image.

Her face as a pale as linen, her eyes unnaturally blue. Her chestnut hair fell in wavy curls just past her shoulders, framing her structured face and crimson lips.

Dumbledore placed the sorting hat on her head. The hat paused, arresting the room in a heavy silence.

"Slytherin," called the sorting hat.

No surprise there. Except… she didn't look particularly pleased. Riddle stood, descended the steps and walked to the Slytherin table. Malfoy looked up at her, a mischievous grin on his face, then scooted over. She squeezed in between him and Goyle.

Riddle and Malfoy. Together. Just what Harry didn't need.

People chattered nervously at the Gryffindor table for the rest of the start of school speeches. And an introduction of a Ministry official Harry remembered. She'd voted guilty at his trial.

Dolores Umbridge.

But his mind was on Chloe Riddle.

Stacks of breads and meats and all the goods that normally smelled so appetizing appeared on the tables, but Harry's stomach was churning. He couldn't eat.

"This is insane. How could Dumbledore let one of You-Know-Who's relatives into Hogwarts?" grumbled Ron as he shoveled some yams into his mouth. "And right after everything that happened last year. He's gone mad."

Harry remembered vividly what had happened last year. Voldemort killed Cedric Diggory. In cold blood. A horrifying memory that would never leave him

"I didn't even know You-Know-Who had children," said Hermione, but the puzzled look on her face said she was more disappointed that her books had failed her than that there were mini-Voldemorts running around.

"She looks-" Harry failed to complete his thought

"She looks what, Harry?" asked Hermione, leaning over Ron.

"Like him," said Ginny, from across the table. She had seen young Tom Riddle too, followed him into the pages of his diary. "You okay?" Her eyes met Harry's.

"I'll be fine. You?" Harry was not fine. He was pissed Dumbledore didn't tell him. Still, he didn't want anyone to know that.

Ginny nodded." But I'll have a good grip on my wand whenever she's around."

"No doubt," said Ron. "No doubt."

Harry sighed and stared at his empty plate. His gaze shifted to the Slytherins. Riddle wasn't eating either.

* * *

Chloe wasn't hungry anymore. She didn't like eating with people looking at her and everyone was looking at her. More like staring, leering, eye-groping. Still she couldn't help but stare back at one of them.

"Who's that?" she asked the blonde-haired boy next to her who had quickly introduced himself as 'Malfoy, Draco Malfoy'. She almost went for the obvious James Bond joke, but she knew the Malfoy name. He would have had no clue what she was talking about. Muggles and Malfoys didn't mix.

"Who?" replied Draco.

"Glasses, black hair, green eyes." Bronze frames that accentuated his brow, hair as dark and rich as raven feathers and eyes green as grass and leaves and everything alive.

"You mean Potter?"

Chloe stopped breathing. "Harry Potter?

"Yeah."

"Damn." He probably wanted to kill her. Or thought she wanted to kill him. But when she looked at Potter, killing him was the last thing on her mind.

"He's a prat." Draco rolled his eyes and took a sip from his goblet.

"Okay." She had no problem with Potter. She didn't even know him and from what her grandmother said, Potter did the world a service fourteen years ago when he defeated "Grandpa". Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And Grandma was just about as scorned as they came.

"Why haven't we ever met?" asked Draco.

"We have met. Five minutes ago, remember?"

"You know what I mean." He smiled, his left brow raised flirtatiously. She did know what he meant, but Chloe was not ready to get into her sordid family history with a perfect stranger.

"Not here I don't." Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? "Harry Potter. Huh." That was not meant to be said out loud.

"Draco Malfoy, actually." Draco laughed at his own joke, but Chloe just kept thinking about Potter and his damn green eyes.

**Hey everybody. I've never shipped Harry with anyone in Rowling's actual world, but I always thought a Riddle/Potter relationship of some sort would be awesome. I kind of want to keep Chloe's past a bit of a mystery and build it over the course of the fic. Also, it will be in three parts fifth year through seventh year. It will deviate from the original plot a bit but I will try to keep the characters (that aren't mine, like Chloe Riddle) in character as much as I possibly can. Let me know what you think. Read and review :)**

**(also her name was originally Emma Riddle but I changed it so if I accidentally write Emma. Super sorry!)  
**


	2. Dementors and Raisins

**_A/N: I take a little creative liberty in the scene with Umbridge, Harry and Chloe. I wanted to give a chance to show Chloe's cunning, protective side (So the stuff about Umbridge's role in the Ministry I just made up)._**

"I don't know? Maybe Lord Voldemort?" Harry spat. Professor Umbridge was beyond frustrating and her teaching policies beyond ludicrous.

"Do not say that name." Umbridge's eyes widened as a phony smile stretched across her thick face. She moved away from the blackboard and towards him. He was so sick of people being afraid of a name. Harry knew it was stupid to screw with Umbridge, but he just couldn't help it.

"Voldemort. Voldemort," repeated Harry. She cringed every time he said it.

A muffled laugh rang from somewhere. At least someone found it funny.

"You-Know-Who has not returned." Umbridge's voice cracked as she spoke, moving closer, inch-by-inch.

"Yes he has. I've seen him. I've fought him." Nobody believed him except Dumbledore and Harry's closest friends. Even the Ministry and the Daily Prophet were conspiring against him. He had almost no one on his side.

"That. is. a. lie." Umbridge let out a squeaky little laugh, her ears turning pink.

"I'm not lying," Harry nearly shouted.

"Enough!" she shrieked.

A hand shot up across the room, straight as a board. Umbridge took a few deep breaths then sighed.

"Yes, Ms. Riddle?"

Chloe Riddle was in this class?

He turned to look. Her dark brown hair was tied into a braid, her green Slytherin tie loosened enough to show the diamond R necklace resting on her clavicle.

"If Voldemort isn't back -" Her voice was clear. Harry thought of rain.

"He isn't." She cringed again.

"If he isn't back then who sent the dementors after Potter?" she asked. That was a good question.

"How'd you learn about that?" Umbridge took a tentative step toward Riddle.

"I have this really special power it's called… a subscription to the Daily Prophet." Riddle smirked. Harry swore he saw her blue eyes flicker towards him.

"Well-"

"And the Ministry found Potter, not-guilty, did they not?" They did. No thanks to Professor Umbridge.

"Yes, but-" Umbridge's face was slowly filling with splotchy color.

"Unless you're willing to admit that the Ministry makes mistakes." Riddle smiled falsely, as if she was attempting an Umbridge impersonation.

"Uh." Umbridge was bright red now.

"Didn't think so. If, by decree of the Minister of Magic, Potter isn't making this up and Old Gramps isn't back. I'm just curious who would have the power to command dementors?"

So she was Voldemort's granddaughter.

"Wha-"

"They're the guards at Azkaban, which is controlled by the Office of Magical Criminal Apprehension. And who was the director of that again? Oh yeah... You."

Gasps and whats and murmurs filled the classroom.

She couldn't be… Riddle had to be… no way she was serious. But it made sense if Harry thought about it. Umbridge already seemed to stop at nothing to keep his mouth shut. And she would have had no idea Harry could perform a patronus and save himself.

"Are you even supposed to be in this class?" Umbridge's eye was twitching.

Riddle glanced around. There were no other Slytherins in the room. "Nope. Good call."

She grabbed her book and headed straight for the door, letting it slam shut behind her.

"Open your books to chapter one. Now!" shouted Umbridge.

A strange emptiness settled in the room. Like Harry had forgotten something. He even looked around for it, but there was nothing.

"Was it just me or was that kind of hot?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"Ron!" Hermione glared.

No. It wasn't just Ron.

* * *

Chloe couldn't believe she was stupid enough to go into the wrong classroom. Not only that but she was stupid enough to get into an argument with the teacher. Sometimes it was like there was two people inside her. If the right motivation came along, she could be quick and smart and manipulative. Most of the time, with a name like Riddle, she just wanted to get by without anyone noticing her. But Chloe knew exactly who Dolores Umbridge was and exactly where she had worked in the Ministry. Umbridge and Grandma were in a long time feud. And, the way she was talking to Potter… it was… well, Chloe didn't know why it bothered her so much.

When the owls swooped into the Great Hall, Chloe was relieved to see a letter from her grandma. She loved her grandma, even if she was mad that she never explained why Chloe had to transfer here. And now. After everything. After him.

The note was written on a picture of them at the country fair back in Massachusetts. Grandma's wrinkled, but proper face dusted with powdered sugar from the funnel cakes. A note was scribbled on the back.

I hope you're having a wonderful time at Hogwarts, my little butterbeer.

Love always,  
Grandma

Chloe's stomach dropped. She missed her so much. Grandma was her only family in the world. The only person she truly trusted.

"Who's that from?" Pansy, one of Draco's friends, bounded up and snatched the letter from Chloe. Pansy was probably Chloe's second least favorite person she'd met so far. Second only to Umbridge.

"Can I have it back?" Chloe reached for the letter, but Pansy tugged it away, turning to the two friends she had with her. Like Draco she always had two dumb-as-a-stump friends next to her.

"I'll bet it's from him. Probably instructions on how to kill Potter. We can hope right," said Pansy. The girls giggled. They probably didn't even know what Pansy said. They giggled at everything like Pansy was the freaking circus.

"Stop it, Pansy." Draco sauntered up and pushed the girls aside, his blonde hair moving in rhythm with his gliding steps. He snatched the letter from Pansy and handed it to Chloe. "Here you go."

"Thanks," she whispered.

A smile spread across Draco's face as he set his foot on the table bench and rested his elbow on his knee, and his chin on his fist. "I wanted to talk to you about something. My father-"

Before he could finish a Slytherin Chloe didn't recognize zoomed up beside her.

"Hey Riddle, I just wanted to say-" That girl was cut off by a third year boy.

"She doesn't want to talk to you. Hi, Riddle. It's Chloe, right.?" He smiled salaciously. Chloe felt sick. Dizzy. Too many people.

"Uh," was all Chloe could manage to say.

"Riddle," shouted someone else.

"Chloe," called another person. She couldn't even tell where the voices were coming from anymore. It was like an attack.

"Hey Riddle. Our moms were really good friends." A girl came up beside her and grabbed on her sweater. Chloe pulled away. That wasn't even possible Chloe's mom had gone to the Salem Institute. She'd never even been to the UK.

"About my dad." Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. She almost fell into him, but she steadied her self on the table. "He wanted me to-" continued Draco.

"Just stop!" Chloe shouted. She was overwhelmed. And no one seemed to care or see. She was so hungry, but she couldn't take any more. Without eating, she sprinted from the Great Hall. Getting away from those people was all she wanted.

She walked in silence for a moment, enjoying the space, the peace. Chloe thought she was alone in the corridor, but then she heard footsteps behind her.

"Riddle," called a voice.

"Go away, Malf-" She turned around to finish yelling at him. It wasn't Malfoy. "Potter." What was he doing here?

Potter bit down on his lip as he cautiously closed in on her. He had something wrapped in a white napkin. He pulled away the loose corners.

"I, uh, brought you a cookie," he said. Those stunning green eyes looked down at the golden brown cookie. "It has raisins in it." His eyes lifted and met hers. She reached out, lightly grazing his fingers as she took the cookie. A jolt of something like she'd never felt before shot through her body, causing her to inhale sharply, to almost stumble backwards.

"I like raisins," she stuttered. Chloe half smiled, her stomach rumbling as she tried to stay on her feet.

Potter nodded slightly then turned on his heel and walked down the corridor and back in to the Great Hall.

Chloe took a bite of the cookie. It was warm and chewy and packed with raisins.

**Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any thoughts. Like I said in Chapter One, I'm going to focus on keeping characters as in character as I can and work to create a new plot so people don't exactly know what's coming. Also, I know in the book people don't know Lord Voldemort is Tom Riddle, but for the purposes of this, the world figured it out after Harry's second year and the opening of the chamber of secrets. Please review :) **


	3. Seers and Rings

He'd lied about the cookie to everyone. Harry didn't even know why. It just seemed crazy when he said it out loud. That was the only time Harry had ever spoken to Riddle. He had resigned himself to sneaking forbidden glances during their shared classes and telling himself later that he hadn't done it.

Potter was alone in a corridor. He reached from something in his pocket and his wand slipped out and rolled across the floor. With his book under his arm, he scrambled to pick it up.

The sound of footsteps and voices echoed in the crossing hallway. A group of Slytherins pounded through the hall, laughing.

Oh, shoot. Neville.

Neville was by himself in the hallway, other than the Slytherins. Pansy walked by and shoved his stack of books onto the floor.

"You're so stupid."

Seriously. That was the best insult she had. Potter grabbed his wand and hurried to help, but stopped when he saw another figure step into view. Riddle.

She leaned over and scooped up Neville's books into her arms. What? Was she going to steal them? Beat him with them?

"You alright kid?" Riddle held out the books for Neville.

Neville just froze, mouth open staring back at her.

"Uh. Uh. You can keep them," he stuttered, his eyes wide and frantic. Slowly, he backed away.

"Please. I don't. You can - Oh, screw it." Riddle sighed as Neville turned his back and scurried away. Harry stepped into the hallway. Chloe gasped as they almost wrecked into each other.

"Potter?" she said, her head slightly tilted.

"Riddle," he said quietly.

"These are. Your friend. I tried to, but he." What had happened to the confident girl he'd seen in Defense Against the Dark Arts? Still, he was kind of glad she wasn't going after him like she'd gone after Umbridge.

"I saw," he said. And he had seen. He'd seen the granddaughter of a violent killer help the school punching bag. He'd seen her do it and ask for nothing in return.

"Well, then. Could you…" She held the books out to Harry, a strand of her coffee-colored hair falling over her lips. Harry took the books and nodded. He started walking towards the classroom. He was about to be late, but Riddle was also in his class.

Harry wasn't sure what it was, but something stopped him. Something made him turn around and say.

"I think we're heading in the same direction."

A smile ghosted across Riddle's lips, her head shaking up and down slightly. It was like they were both living in a world of paper thin glass. The slightest move the wrong way and they'd bring the whole world down with them.

Riddle took a slow step alongside Potter.

"You can call me Chloe," she whispered.

Harry paused. Thinking about the way the name Chloe would sound whispered on his lips.

Stop thinking like that.

"Harry," he finally said.

They walked quietly for a few steps. World of glass and all, but Chloe eventually broke the silence.

"We didn't have divination at my old school," she said. It was the class they were heading to.

"Yeah. Well it's hard to come by a real seer."

"Didn't stop Hogwarts," said Chloe, with a quick laugh. Harry's face fell. He didn't want to listen to her insult anything about the closest thing he'd ever had to a home, even if he partially agreed. Somehow. Some inexplainable way, she must have realized it. "Harry - I," she said softly.

Harry paused. "I've seen it."

"Seen?" Her head tilted slightly toward him, her blue eyes catching the light and shimmering as bright as a spell.

"Her make a real prophecy." A long breath escaped Harry's lips. "Said Voldemort would come back."

Chloe looked at the ground then back up at him. "Well, I wish Trelawney would have given Grandma a head's up. She'd been waiting for him with a damn shotgun."

Her answer was sharp, witty, packed with information. There was the girl from Defense Against the Dark Arts. It also told him something unusual. Maybe Chloe and Voldemort weren't that close after all. Still, a part of Voldemort lived in her. The same way a part of Harry's mom and dad lived in him.

"So you've never met him?" Harry asked.

She shook her head, stuffing her fists in the pockets of her cloak. "He was, well, let's just say he'd met you before I was born."

"Which side is he. I mean, your dad or-" Harry wasn't sure the next chance he'd get to talk to a Riddle without a wand held to his throat. Might as well get what he could.

"Mom. Died when I was a kid. Dad was a muggle and a deadbeat. Never met the guy." Her voice was like a distant echo. But one Harry understood.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I have Grandma…She's all I have."

Harry's eyes met Chloe's. Something like both ice and fire coursed through his veins. The blood rushed from his head. Just from one look. Impossible. He needed to think of something else.

"I have to ask because I don't get it. Why are you here? Why now?"

Chloe shrugged. "I wish I knew. Grandma wouldn't say."

"Well here we are," said Harry as he pulled open the door to the divination room, unwilling to look at Chloe, both afraid and excited to experience that surging feeling again.

They stepped into the foggy room and Chloe disappeared in the heavy smoke of burning incense.

* * *

Chloe sat with Daphne Greengrass during divination. Of all the Slytherins she was the least interested in Chloe's last name. Still it was hard not to lift her eyes from the crystal ball. Hard to not drink him in. Potter's laugh, smile. Bloody hell. He was like a potion.

Without saying another word to Harry, Chloe walked down to the Great Hall with Daphne. She was glad to have a buffer from the rest of the Slytherins. Maybe she'd actually get some lunch today.

Chloe set her books down on the table and pulled out her quill and ink. She hadn't had a chance to write Grandma back since she received the letter. Just as she unfurled the piece of parchment, Chloe heard a voice behind her.

"Miss Riddle. My name is Mr. Humphries. I'm from the Ministry of Magic. I need to speak with you. Can you step into the hall?"

Chloe turned around to see a wrinkled face with blue marks under his eyes like he hadn't slept in days. Eyes that were looking up and down, looking anywhere but directly at her.

"Uh. Okay." She stood from the table, her palms starting to sweat. What could the Minister of Magic want with her?

They stepped into the hallway. Her head of house, Professor Snape, and two middle-aged witches Chloe had never seen before were standing, arms folded in the hallway.

Was she in trouble for something? The only thing she'd done was screw with Umbridge.

"What is it?" she asked, her mouth dry from nerves. Chloe took a step closer to them. They all shifted a little bit back.

"It's your grandmother," said Mr. Humphries, his eyes firmly on the floor.

Chloe's heart was pounding so loud she could hear it in her head.

"What? What about her? Is she okay?" The words shot from her mouth like bullets. What was going on? She needed to know. Why would no one look at her? "Somebody say something."

"She's dead," spat Professor Snape.

The ground caved in. There was nothing but falling and falling. How could this be? It couldn't. Snape was lying.

"No- you're wrong. No. She's not. You're- How?"

"Stroke. About a week ago," answered Humphries.

Chloe's legs were giving out. Grandma was - she was it for Chloe. Without her, there was nothing left in the world. And she'd been gone a week. This world had been empty for seven days and Chloe didn't even feel it. What was wrong with her?

"Why, why am I just f- f- finding out now?" Hot tears started flooding from Chloe's eyes and pouring down her cheeks, making her nose stuffy and runny. She needed a tissue… she needed something… anything… anyone.

"We just got word yesterday. She was only found three days ago," one of the witches whispered.

"What do you mean found?" The world was spinning. Chloe's chest physically hurt, like someone was crushing down on it with a boot.

"The neighbors… she was alone… and they heard a smell," the other witch finished.

The smell? No. No. No. Chloe couldn't hold herself up anymore. She wanted to fall into someone's arms. But there was no one left anymore. Nothing but the wall to hold her up.

They all looked at her like she was poison.

"She probably wanted you to have this," said Humphries coldly. He reached into his pocket and removed a shiny object. He slapped it into her palm.

It was like all the air was sucked out of the world. Shiny white gold and a small, but crystal clear diamond.

Grandma's wedding ring.

News spread around the school quickly. Chloe didn't realize it at the time, but Daphne was hiding in the shadows, listening. But she didn't care about the whispers and the rumors. Whispers and rumors were part of her every day life.

It was the total suspension. The disconnect.

No one in the world left that cared for Chloe. No one left who wasn't afraid to touch her. All she wanted was for someone to hold her and not because they thought she could give them power or prestige. Things she didn't even have. But just because she was human and they were human too.

But that was pipe dream. A hopeless, worthless prayer.

She was a Riddle and no one loved a Riddle

Just before sunset, Chloe was sitting, tears burning her eyes and her cheeks, on the crest of the hill overlooking the Black Lake. Twirling the ring in her fingers, her Grandma's most prized possession. No matter how much she said she hated Grandpa, Chloe never ever saw Grandma take off that ring.

A gust of wind blew over her shoulder, startling her. She looked to her right. Someone sat down beside her.

It was Potter… no… Harry. Harry Potter.

The dim evening light washed over his face, highlighting his strong jaw and the messy waves of his hair. He said nothing and neither did she.

Slowly Harry lifted his hand and laid it gently on Chloe's shoulder.

A cracking sob escaped Chloe's lips, but she quickly covered her mouth with her fingers.

Harry and Chloe stayed there on the crest of that hill, his hand on her shoulder, their eyes never meeting, their voices never speaking. They simply stared across the placid water, until the sun winked out its light.

**Thanks for reading. I hope you liked this chapter and are enjoying the growing relationship between Harry and Chloe. I'll try not to take it too slow or too fast. Please review :)**


	4. Fights and Drinks

It was hard to get Chloe Riddle out of his mind. The feel of her warm shoulder against his hand. Just the smallest touch and it was the like everything in the world melted away except him and her.

She had been gone for the past few days. Harry had overheard a few of the Slytherins talking. Apparently she had gone back to American to bury her grandmother they way she had wanted to be buried. Harry missed seeing her in classes, across the Great Hall.

He was walking alone down a corridor. He turned a corner and smack. Chloe? It was like they were destined to run into each other.

"Hey," he said breathless.

"Hey Harry." She stared at the ground, fidgeting with her tie.

"You've been… gone." Harry swallowed. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

"Yeah." Chloe looked at him. There were black rings under her eyes. Merlin, she looked tired. This weird part of him wanted to pull her into his chest, let her close her eyes and rest in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he managed to say even though he was distracted by the thoughts of running his fingers through her lavender-scented hair.

"No," she said harshly.

His heart ached. He shouldn't care if the granddaughter of the man who murdered his parents was sad or hurt, but he did. He cared so much.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "You don't have to feel sorry for me."

"I know. But I do." Harry reached out and touched her arm. She stiffened at his hand against her skin. "I understand how you feel."

"Do you?"

"I lost my parents, you know."

"You didn't even know your parents!" she suddenly shouted. Harry jumped back. A couple of Hufflepuffs looked in their direction then scurried off.

"What?" Just because he hadn't known his parents didn't mean their loss didn't affect him. Of course it did. He'd never known what it had been like to be truly loved and remember it.

How could she say something like that?

"It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have-" Chloe turned away from him. No. He couldn't let her avoid this. Avoid him.

"It matters to me. My life hasn't been easy." He grabbed her arm and tugged her back to him.

"Neither has mine," she snarled, her blue eyes alight with pain, anger… they were terrifying and beautiful. So beautiful.

"You have no idea what it's like to be me," said Harry through his teeth. He was doing everything he could to keep himself from roughly grabbing her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers. Kissing her until nothing else mattered.

"And you don't know what it's like to be me." She tugged away from his grasp.

"Tell me," Harry whispered.

"This is crazy." Chloe just kept shaking her head.

"What?"

"This. Us. Malfoy's right."

Harry allowed a strangled laugh to leave his lips. "Malfoy is never right."

If she was quoting Malfoy, Chloe was out of an effective argument.

"This time I think he is Harry. Maybe it's best if we just stay out of each other's way." Her eyes were drawn together. There was a profound sadness in every feature on her face.

"Chloe…"

"Come on. You know I'm right."

He knew she was right, but he didn't want her to be.

* * *

Chloe was trying to keep herself from crying again. After running into Harry, it was just too much. Every day people like Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy made it their responsibility to remind her exactly who she was.

The granddaughter of the Dark Lord.

Malfoy had been hinting that she should go see him. Chloe had been determined to stay away, but after Grandma's funeral, she realized just how alone she was. Tom Riddle was the only family she had left in the world. She should at least meet him.

"Hey Draco," said Chloe as she walked into the Slytherin common room. "Can I come home with you this weekend?"

He glanced up from his potion book and grinned.

Chloe had come to Malfoy Manor with Draco and his father. That was about half an hour earlier. They'd both gone inside, but she just sat there on the porch staring into the falling sun.

The door squeaked open behind her.

"I'm glad you came," someone whispered as he stepped through the door and onto the porch.

Chloe stomach flipped. Was it really him?

"I made it to the steps, but just couldn't manage to get all the way in." Chloe looked up to see who it was. Shiny black shoes, gray pants, white shirt, leather jacket. His hair was dark with a wisp of grey and startling blue eyes. Nothing liked she'd heard Draco describe. He seemed so normal, but she knew exactly who he was, from pictures and even from looking in the mirror. Grandpa. "I thought you'd look differently."

After all the stories she heard. The legends. Myths. The tear-filled stories Grandma told after she'd had a little too much to drink. The happy ones. The ones she'd never admit to telling.

He slowly sat down beside her on the steps. "I have many faces." He sat a carton of glass bottles of Mountain Dew in between them, removed one the bottles and handed it to her.

A wave of sadness floated over her as memories of her grandma rushed back. Chloe popped open the top and took a drink. That just made the memories stronger.

"These were grandma's favorite," she said, looking from the bottle to Grandpa…Tom. Merlin, she didn't know what to call him. He was staring down at his feet, but she could see the half smile on his face. "But you knew that."

He nodded.

It was easy to forget the life her grandmother had shared with this man Chloe'd never met. The fifteen years of marriage seemed more like a story to Chloe than concrete reality.

"I thought maybe you'd like them too."

"I do."

There was a long pause before Tom said, "I always thought it tasted like dragon pee."

Chloe had to stifle an uncomfortable laugh. He was so strange, so different than she thought he would be. She was confused and it was scaring her. "You have a lot of experience with the flavor of dragon pee?"

"It's a crucial ingredient in several useful oral potions."

He sounded so serious, almost like a professor trying to impart his wisdom on her. Or maybe even like a grandfather. That thought was too much.

Chloe took a sip of the sour liquid. Tom was staring at her, his burning blue eyes focusing on her like she was something intricate to be studied.

"What?"

Tom let out a long breath. "You just look a lot like your grandmother."

She'd never heard anyone say that. Ever.

"Most people say I look like you."

"The line of freckles across your nose. The small cleft in your chin. That's Jane."

It was crazy to think he remembered her so well after all that time apart.

Chloe bit her lip. "I guess I look like both of you."

Tom grabbed one of the bottles and popped open the top. He took a drink. His face puckered and he shook his head."Nope. Still dragon pee."

Chloe let a small laugh escape as she took another sip.

"We're having lamb chops for dinner. If you'd like to-"

A part of her she didn't understand wanted to say yes. The part that wanted to fit in somewhere. To stop being alone, but she couldn't. Even if he didn't seem like it, he was still the man that murdered so many people. The man who stole Harry's parents from him. The thought made her sick.

"I'm a vegetarian." It was true. She couldn't even kill bugs. How could she eat some fuzzy little animal?

Tom ran a hand through his hair. "Oh. Uh, I can have one of the house elves make you something else."

Why was he being so nice to her? It made her so angry. He was supposed to be awful, evil. He was those things, but apparently not to her. She needed him to be those things to her. Chloe needed to hate him. She needed him to hate her. But there was no hate on those front steps. Just pain and sadness and longing.

She shook her head, feeling tears betraying her and prickling at the corners of her eyes. It was like being ripped down the middle unsure of which way to go or who to be.

"I have a transfiguration essay due tomorrow. If I don't do it, McGonagall will kick my butt."

"Minerva was always a bit intense."

She forgot they would have gone to school together. For some reason this just made it hurt more.

"Yeah," she whispered, unsure of what else to say.

"I'll have Mr. Malfoy take you back," Tom said as he stood up, taking the carton of Mountain Dew with him.

"Leave those," Chloe said.

He half-smiled and sat the drinks back down next to her, then disappeared behind the door.

**Thanks for reading! I know Voldemort may seem out of character, but I wanted him to be a little more complicated. In a way he sees Chloe as an extension of himself so he is protective of her in that way. Much of this story about Chloe being torn between Harry and her family, and the confusion she has over who her grandfather really is. I hope you're enjoying it and please, please review :)**


	5. Umbridge and Armies

Umbridge had been appointed a position at the school by the Ministry and she was taking over Hogwarts. Harry had never been angrier about something in this life. She was going class to class and interrogating teachers, often in front of their students. Which was what she was doing that day in Divinations class.

Harry was sitting by Ron at one of table, a swirling crystal ball in front of them.

"How long have you worked here?" Umbridge asked Professor Trelawney.

"Uh, uh. Twenty years." Trelawney's voice shook.

"That's a long time."

"Yes," Trelawney stuttered. "Is that all?"

Umbridge smiled, a sickly pink blushing on her cheeks.

"I need you to predict something for me."

Trelawney froze, her eyes focused on Umbridge. "Wh-what?"

Harry felt so bad for his professor at that moment. In many Trelawney was a bit ridiculous but she could make real prophecies and really no one deserved Umbridge's attacks. He even almost felt sorry for Snape. Almost.

"You heard me. Predict something." Umbridge waved her plump hand as if she was asking Trelawney to do something as simple as breathing.

Harry heard someone clear their throat. He looked over. It was Chloe Riddle. She was raising her eyebrows and moving awkwardly. Harry thought she might have been trying to get Trelawney's attention, but the divination's professor was too focused on Umbridge and her crazy request.

Chloe sighed. Her wand was on the table and she laid her hand over it. The table began to jostle like it was having its own earthquake. Chloe's eyes shut and when they opened, her pupil and iris had been replaced by a milky white. She was in the back corner of the room. Nobody would have noticed unless they were staring at her like Harry was. (Like he almost always was).

Suddenly, a familiar echoing voice came from Trelawney. Was she actually having a real prophecy like she had fourth year? Convenient timing.

"Your enemies are many. Your enemies are strong. Your enemies shall find you. You will pay for what you have done." Trelawney gasped and suddenly it was like she had returned from somewhere beyond. Harry saw Chloe's head fall back as if she had lost control of her neck muscles, but quickly she returned to normal.

The whole class was stunned. Umbridge's mouth fell open.

Harry just knew Chloe had something to do with it. But how?

"Thank you, Professor." Umbridge sneered then stomped out of the classroom.

No one said a word until Trelawney said, "Class, you're dismissed."

Slowly everyone stood up and made their way to the door. Chloe hurried out ahead of everyone.

Harry had forgotten about that day in Divinations class until a few days later when he heard a commotion in the courtyard. Hermione and Ron ran towards him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's Professor Trelawney in the courtyard. Come on," said Ron. Harry followed his best friends to the courtyard which was crowded with a circle of students surrounding a trembling Trelawney and a smug Professor Umbridge.

"I need you to leave the premises at once," Umbridge said with that saccharin voice of hers.

"That stupid cow," snarled Harry, anger rising inside of him. Umbridge's unfairness was remarkable, disturbing.

"But, I don't have anywhere to go," said Trelawney, her suitcase shaking in her frail hands. It was pitiful sight.

"I don't see how that is my problem. You don't expect Hogwarts to employ a fraud, do you?

Suddenly, Chloe Riddle pushed through the crowd and into the circle. Her eyes looking even more blue than usual. Harry palms started to sweat. "You got your prophecy. I saw it. We all saw it." Chloe gestured to the crowd.

"What's she doing?" Hermione asked Ron who just shrugged.

Umbridge tore her gaze from Harry's Divinations professor and turned all her raging hate toward, in Harry opinion, the prettiest girl in the wizarding world. "Miss Riddle, how daft do you think I am?"

"Do you want me to answer that?" Her eyes narrowed and she got that clever smirk of hers that made Harry feel like he'd been hit with the jelly legs jinx.

"Just like your grandmother. You think you're so much better than everyone else."

"Don't," Chloe said in just more than a whisper. Harry could barely hear her.

"Always think you're two steps ahead of me. Thought you can use your grandmother old tricks on me and I wouldn't notice. Well think again."

"Stop." It was a little louder that time.

""Let me tell your something about your precious grandmum. She was nothing but You-Know-Who's stupid, filthy little whore!"

Chloe's eyes widened with a look of rage Harry swore he'd seen before but couldn't place. Umbridge turned her back to Chloe, apparently satisfied she'd shut her up, but it couldn't be that easy to shut up a Riddle. Chloe's wand was pointing at Professor Umbridge. What was she going to do? Harry couldn't let her…

"Chloe. Don't. Please. Chloe she isn't worth it," Harry said quickly, hardly realizing what he was doing when he was doing it. It was if it came from the back of his head, somewhere he didn't realize existed. He was speaking to her in parseltongue.

Chloe Riddle, eyes still flushed with fury, turned to Harry, meeting his gaze. She could understand. Her face softened and she slipped her wand back inside.

Dumebledore came exploding through the doors just as Chloe walked over to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"She's out of control, Harry. Someone has to do something about her."

Without a word, she glanced over Ron and Hermione and then stormed off.

"What was that?" asked Hermione.

"Uh, I don't - Nothing," said Harry, but he was watching the curve of Chloe's waist and stretch of her legs as she walked away.

* * *

"Hey, Chloe," said Draco as he passed by her and headed into the Great Hall. "You coming?"

"Be right there." Chloe had seen Harry and his friends whispering and talking about something she hadn't been able to fully understand. Something about a group. To fight back against Umbridge or to learn to fight… she wasn't quite sure. But when she saw his friend Hermione Granger whispering with a girl from Ravenclaw. she had to follow them and find out for sure.

"When are we meeting?" asked the Ravenclaw.

"Hogsmeade weekend," Hermione replied in a whisper.

"Where?"

"Hog's Head."

"Isn't that place a little… sketchy?"

Chloe hadn't been to Hogsmeade but had heard about it from her grandma. Grandpa and his friends used to meet up in Hog's Head sometimes.

"That's the point. No one will find us. You should come. We have to learn to fight from someone."

It still didn't give Chloe the whole picture, but she knew just where she could find the whole picture. That weekend at the Hog's Head.

It had snowed over night, turning the small city into a winter wonderland. Icicles hung from the signs and a few third years were building a snowman. Chloe had pulled off her red scarf and tied it around the neck of the snowman.

"Much better." She winked at the boys and hurried down the street, trying not to slip in her brown boots. Chloe spent a little too much time getting ready that morning. She picked out a pretty white dress with red flowers, brown stockings and boots to keep warm. Her hair was pulled back in a pretty bow and she wore shiny pearl earrings. Why did she care what Harry thought about how she looked? But she did. A lot.

When Chloe found the Hog's Head, she slipped inside and found a huddled group of students. Harry and his two friends at the front.

"If you could tell us more about how Diggory died," said a boy with a thick accent that Chloe didn't recognize.

Harry stiffened. He was obviously uncomfortable and all Chloe wanted to do was reach out, stroke his arm, make him feel better. But that was nuts. "I'm not here to talk about Cedric. If that's why you're here. Feel free to leave." There was anger in voice that sent chills down Chloe's spine. She could feel his power.

"Does anyone have a question that isn't about Cedric?" asked Hermione who seemed to be the brains of this operation. Though from what she heard about Hermione, she was probably the brains of every operation.

No one said a word. Harry was blushing. She could tell he was upset and embarrassed. There was a dull ache in her heart as she watched him shift awkwardly, all eyes on him.

Then Chloe remembered something she had read in the Daily Prophet. It was how he escaped the dementors that day.

"Is it true you can produce a patronus?" Her voice nearly cracked as said it. Her mouth dry with the cold and the nerves that always came from being in the same room with Harry Potter and his emerald eyes and dark, just the right kind of messy hair.

His eyes lifted to her and she knew he saw her. The look on everyone's faces. Shock. Except for Harry. He was half-smiling.

"Yes. It is. I've seen it," said Hermione, a momentary sense of unity between very different girls.

"We're really going to let her sign," said Ron Weasley. Chloe had never formally met him, but when Draco wasn't complaining about Harry or his friend Hermione Granger, he was complaining about Ron Weasley.

"Why not?" she asked, eyebrow raised. There was something about Weasley she just wanted to challenge.

"You're-"

"I'm what?"

His eyes narrowed. "A Slytherin."

Chloe turned to Harry who was sitting in front of her, eyes wide, biting his lip, looking somewhere between worried and excited. "Harry?" She grinned, needing him on her side.

Harry sighed and looked to Weasley. "She's in."

His mouth dropped open. "You're kidding?"

"She's in," said Harry forcefully. Chloe smiled then picked up the quill and signed Chloe Riddle under the word Dumbledore's Army, in her sweeping, elegant script.

Chloe left Hogsmeade alone and stood waiting on the bridge at Hogwarts hoping to see Harry. He had passed by with his friends, but allowed them to go on without him.

"How'd you know where we were going?" Harry came up beside her.

"Overheard your friend… Granger, right? I hear Draco talking about her all the time. He just needs to kiss her and get it over with." She turned to him, taking in his pink blushed cheeks. Her stomach flipped. Merlin, he was gorgeous.

"What?" Harry green eyes widened, as he placed his hands just an inch away from her on the railing. It was like her hand caught on fire and the heat was traveling through the rest of her body.

"Nobody talks about someone else that much unless they've got the hots for them." Chloe said, trying to ease the sudden draw she had towards Harry.

"You're strange." His lips parted slightly drawing attention to his mouth.

"Is it because my grandfather is a murderous lunatic?" She smiled, instinctively moving closing to her him. He smelled of burning cedar and apples. Chloe tried not to breathe in his scent. It was driving her crazy.

"No… it's because you say things like 'my grandfather is a murderous lunatic'."

"You mean the truth?" She put the Tom Riddle she had met the other day out of her mind. She had to.

"You're just a little on the nose about it."

"If people are going to hate you, they might as well hate you for what you really are rather than what you seem to be."

"That's very wise."

She turned away from Harry to face over the edge of the bridge and across the snow blanketed hills. "My grandma used to say that."

"I'm sure she was a very wise lady."

"About some things…Obviously, she didn't have the best taste in men." Chloe faced Harry again, the cold wind sweeping back his hair. A strange tingling raced through her limbs to her heart.

Harry laughed. "No."

"But then again, the women in my family are known to choose exactly that which is worst for them. My grandma used to say that too." Their eyes were connected, like the core to the wood of a wand. Inseparable. Useless without the other, but together… perfect, magical.

"Really?" said Harry, through a shaky breath.

It was Chloe who leaned in, but Harry who closed the distance.

**Thanks for reading! We'll get the end of Chloe and Harry's first kiss in the next chapter, but I hope you're enjoying their growing relationship and all the problems it's going to get them into. Sorry if I got any of the forming of the DA wrong in this chapter. I wanted to focus on Harry and Chloe and the choices their making to help each other, not stuff we all know from reading the book and watching the movies. Please, please review!**


	6. Kisses and Girls

Her lips moved gently against Harry's, pushing every other thought away. It was crazy. Reckless. But he knew, when he walked away, it would be his new best memory.

Chloe pulled away, then brought her lips back to his for a final, quick kiss.

"I should go," she whispered, her breath warm against his mouth.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, the remaining adrenaline from his first kiss pumping through his veins.

"That was." Chloe bit her lip, a rosy pink blushing on her pale cheeks. A beautiful color that made Harry want to kiss her again, but he had to let her go.

"Go," he said in a long breath. She hesitated, her eyes sweeping over him like a paintbrush, then she stuffed her hands into her pockets and jogged down the snow-coated bridge.

He wanted to chase after her, beg her to stay, but he stood there frozen. Harry spent the next hour wandering the mostly vacant grounds, little chips of ice forming in his hair, wondering just how he'd let himself kiss Voldemort's granddaughter. And wondering why he had loved it.

Finally, the cold got too much and Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room. The fires were blazing bright casting a familiar glow across the comfy sofas and chairs. Ron was sprawled out on one by the fireplace. His eyes met Harry's as he moved closer.

"Where have you been?" asked Ron.

"Uh. What?" Harry's mind was still on Chloe, on the perfect way her lips fit with his. Like they were designed that way by some higher deity with a very strange sense of humor.

"It's been like two hours, mate." Ron sat up, a look of concern and confusion across his face. It was a comfort to see Ron, so normal, so steady.

"I just went for a walk. Clear my head."

"What did you and Riddle find to talk about?" asked Ron with a laugh. Harry had forgotten that Ron, among others, had seen him stop to talk to Chloe. "Besides her family murdering yours."

"Ron," sighed Harry. He wasn't the mood to think about who Chloe Riddle really was. He flopped down on the couch beside Ron. Ron's eyes narrowed and focused on him.

"What's on your lips?" Ron leaned in for a closer look. Harry pulled back and threw his hand over his mouth.

"Nothing... I was eating. A... red thing," stuttered Harry. He really should have looked in a mirror before coming in here.

"A red thing."

"Cranberry sauce."

"Cranberry sauce?"

Wow. Harry needed to get better at lying. "Is this important?" Maybe he could just get Ron on another subject.

"No. Guess not," said Ron, but he was still staring at Harry's mouth.

Harry stood. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Ron's eyes flashed to the clock. "It's six."

"Just, Merlin, Ron. I don't feel well."

"Okay. Okay."

Harry was so focused on covering up what he imagined was some of Chloe's lipstick smeared across his lips, he didn't see Hermione come in behind them. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but nothing came out, so he just hurried to the stairs.

"What's with Harry?" he heard Hermione say to Ron.

"I think he ate some bad cranberry sauce," replied Ron. Harry ran the rest of the way up to the boy's dormitory.

Two days later and Harry hadn't seen Chloe since they kissed. It was almost like she dropped off the face of the planet. But it had only been two days and it wasn't like they hung around in same circles. Besides they hadn't had a Dumbledore's Army meeting yet.

Harry was walking alone on his way to divination when he saw a familiar face emerge from one of the other corridors. Chloe.

"Hey," said Harry.

She flashed her smile, making Harry's knees shake. How was she able to do that? "Fancy seeing you here."

"What?"

She blushed. "I don't know. I say awkward things when I'm nervous."

"It's fine." He grinned nervously. His heart was already racing, his hands already sweating. They weren't even that close to each other. How did she have this effect on him?

"I've been meaning to talk to you," said Chloe as she drew closer to him.

"Me too." More like, he'd been wanting to. Wishing he could. Wishing everything was different.

"You first," she said, staring at her patent leather boots.

"No. You."

"What happened the other day. It can't happen again." Chloe let out long breath.

Harry knew it was coming. Knew she was right, but hearing it, it still sent him reeling. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Right. No. You're right."

Chloe's eyes met Harry's and her gaze melted into his. "I mean it was. I don't know how it was for you – but for me it was." There was cracking desperation in her voice that matched how Harry was feeling. She didn't need to finish.

"Me too." He stepped closer to her, never taking his eyes off her face, her perfect red lips.

"It can't happen again." Her words started out firm but faltered towards the end. Harry felt her tremble against his skin as he ran his finger down her forearm.

"Never," he said then slammed his lips to hers. The kiss was different from last time. Heated. Powerful. Like it had a life of its own.

* * *

Chloe stepped through the door of the Room of Requirement, her heart fluttering. She hadn't seen Harry since their kiss in the hallway two days ago and she had no idea what was going with them. They seemed to have this pattern of making out and then not speaking.

The room was packed with people from every house but her own and a heavy feeling settled in her stomach when a pretty Ravenclaw with shiny black hair sauntered up to her. "Hi. I'm Cho Chang of Ravenclaw. It's surprising to see _you_ here." She smirked. The way she said "you" was as if it was the start of "you-know-who".

Chloe let out a long breath. _Here it goes again. _"Why's that?"

"I think you know."

Yeah, Chloe knew. But it got really annoying constantly having to explain herself for something she had absolutely no control over. "Oh you mean because Voldemort's my grandfather. Tell me you get along with all of your relatives."

"That's not the point." Cho folded her arms across her chest, her dark eyes a challenge.

"Isn't it?" Chloe stepped closer. She wasn't going to be intimidated by whoever this was.

"Is she bothering you?" One of the two twins, Padma, Parvati... Chloe wasn't quite sure came up to Cho's side.

"Yeah. Is she?" That was the other twin who seemed to materialize out of nowhere. They reminded Chloe so much of Pansy and her girl pack that it just made Chloe angrier.

"I don't know what your game is but I'm going to figure it out." Cho huffed, the twins like her tiny little bodyguards. It was kind of ridiculous. Suddenly, Chloe had the strongest urge to laugh.

"I'll tell you my game," said Chloe, a grin growing on her face. "It's wizard's chess. Though I'm pretty good at gobstones too."

"Merlin, you're weird," said Cho.

"Seriously, snake. No one wants you here," one of the twins said.

Another girl came up. The one she had seen with Harry the other day. The one Draco Malfoy always talked about. Hermione Granger. _Great. Another addition to the pack._

"Hey. Back off," shouted the girl, putting herself between Cho and Chloe. "Harry says she's okay. She's okay. Got it?"

Cho rolled her eyes. "Whatever." The three of them stalked off.

"Thanks," said Chloe.

Hermione leaned in and whispered, "But seriously, if you do something to Harry I will hex you so your feet grow out of your ears."

"Understood."

For some reason, Chloe really liked that girl.

The door opened again and Chloe felt the air go right out of the room. It was Harry, looking so distinctly Harry, sweet, but strong. A distant gleam in his eye that said he had the weight of the world on his shoulders which in a way he did.

Cho pounded away from her group and skidded up to Harry. "Hey, Harry. It's a lovely day. Isn't it a lovely day?"

But Harry's eyes were on Chloe.

"Uh, yeah. Hey, Cho," he said as she brushed past her and made a straight line for where Chloe and Hermione were standing.

"Glad you're here, Chloe," said Harry, so focused on Chloe that she felt like the only person in a room full of dozens. "Oh hey Hermione," he finally said.

Hermione's eyes darted from Chloe to Harry back to Harry again. "Hey."

Harry smiled once more at Chloe then turned to address all the people in the room . "So, uh, everyone, today we are going to be learning disarming charms."

Everyone lined up and Chloe was standing across from one of the Weasley twins. Harry was walking up and down the aisles checking on everyone. Chloe was having trouble focusing because all she could think about was the way Harry's arms flexed when he swished and flicked his wand.

"Good job, Hermione. Luna," said Harry as they both successfully disarmed their partners.

Chloe already knew how to do a disarming charm. She'd known since second year. Though she hadn't practiced in awhile and it would be nice to practice... but if she didn't need help Harry wouldn't come over and she didn't need to practice and she really wanted Harry to come over. Draco would say she was turning into a Hufflepuff. It was the favorite Slytherin insult for anyone who showed any sign of weakness or caring.

"Hey Harry... I can't. I think I'm doing something wrong," she called out. Harry's eyes met hers and he hurried over to her.

"Keep the wand flourish simple," Harry's voice sounded like melting honey and she knew that was only because she had the biggest crush of her life on him. Not because voices could actually sound like honey... that would be ridiculous. She was being ridiculous.

"Can you show me?" she half-smiled, hoping he'd get the hint.

"Here you just-" Harry slid up behind her, the heat coming from his body made her shiver. He placed his head right next to her, his hand on hers... he smelled the way he always did and she loved it. She looked up at met his gaze. He smirked and she knew he figured her out. "You just wanted to get me over here."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No." He smiled.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching, wand out and like an instinct she turned and shouted, "Expelliarmus."

Cho flew backward and smacked against the floor the Patil twins ran to her side. Chloe didn't move, adrenaline pumping through her.

"Did you see that?" whined Cho as climbed to her feet.

"Yeah. Actually I did," said Hermione, shoving past her and walking up to Chloe. Harry had backed away during the very short duel, obviously not wanting to get in the middle of some sort of chick fight.

"Chloe, you can work with me." Hermione grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled her to the end of the line.

"Thanks," whispered Chloe. She was hoping that Hermione really had seen what happened. That Cho was going to hex her first.

"Sorry, they're-" said Hermione rolling her eyes and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She did know.

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

"Really?" asked Hermione as she turned to face Chloe.

"Well it wasn't this bad in Salem because it wasn't personal, but the reputation is still..."

"I can imagine. You ready?"

Chloe nodded. Hermione and Chloe spent the rest of the Dumbledore's Army meeting passing hexes back and forth and even working on a few shield charms Chloe knew. Hermione was extremely talented. She alone could disprove all the muggle-born inferiority propaganda. (If Grandma hadn't already done that). That was the biggest secret of all the secrets around. Lord Voldemort married a muggle-born.

"That's it for today," called Harry, his eyes flashing over to Chloe. Her stomach dropped like she'd just ridden the tower of doom at the country fair like she used to with Grandma.

"You did great, Chloe."

"Thanks. If only I had the same aptitude in some of my other classes. That transfiguration essay is killing me. For some reason, I just do not get that class."

A smile smile appeared on Hermione's face. Chloe guessed she'd never met a Slytherin who would admit her shortcomings. "I'm really good at Transfiguration." Hermione looked down at her feet. "Not to brag... I just meant that I could help you."

Chloe stopped walking towards the door and smiled. "Seriously? That would be great. I think it's like in a Slytherin's nature to suck at Transfiguration."

"We can go to the library after this if you want."

"We'll have to watch out for the pink psycho. I'm sure a Slytherin and a Gryffindor studying together will be against one of her many rules."

"It's against a lot of rules," said Hermione. Chloe's eyes turned to Cho, Padma and Parvati, then to Harry.

If only Hermione knew how many rules Chloe was actually breaking.

**Thanks for reading and reviewing and favoriting and following and being in general awesome! I'd love to hear from more of you. I enjoyed adding some Hermione and Chloe into this chapter because I'm a huge fan of strong female friendships. Sorry for any Cho-bashing. I needed a personal antagonist for Chloe and I figured she'd work because of her crush on Harry. Thanks again! **


	7. Order and Ice Cream

The room was dark and small, save for the tiny round window that let in the frosty winter light. Harry couldn't believe he was here. His back pressed against the wall, his fingers tangled in Chloe Riddle's hair, their breaths and mouths mixing like a powerful potion.

"Hot chocolate," said Harry, breathing in Chloe's ear. They'd been listing their favorite things about the Christmas season, trying to make the most of the time they had left together before break.

"Eggnog," she replied as her lips met his again.

"Candy canes."

"Apparently we both like food." Chloe mouth was on his neck. Harry leaned his head against the wall. The sensation of her touch like hundreds of matches warming his skin.

"Hmm. I like Christmas carols," he replied, trying to sound a little less like a food-starved pig. He never cared much for Christmas at the Dursleys, but they always had carols playing during December and it brought back the closest thing he had to a fond memory of that time.

"What's your favorite song?" asked Chloe.

"Jingle Bell Rock. You?"

"Good one. I'll Be Home for Christmas." She sighed and stopped kissing him. Instead, she sat in his lap and nuzzled her head into his neck. "Harry," she whispered.

"What is it?"

"How long do you think we can keep this up?"

He smiled. "At least until Potions."

Chloe let out a small laugh. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I know, but it's almost Christmas. And I don't really want to think about it right now."

Chloe pulled out of his lap and sat down beside him on the desk. "I'm not sure I really want to think about Christmas at all."

"Why not?" he asked quickly before remembering that Chloe's grandma had just died. "Oh. I'm sorry."

She shrugged, but Harry could see the tears pooling in her eyes. "Are you... _staying _here for Christmas? At Hogwarts."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He couldn't really tell Chloe where he was going. Back to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. "I don't know. Not this year. Ron's family... they, uh, invited me to stay with them."

"Oh. I thought maybe because of the Dursleys you stayed here."

"I usually do stay at Hogwarts." Harry hadn't thought about Chloe's Christmas plans for some reason. Where was she going to go? "Are you staying at Hogwarts?"

"Maybe. Haven't decided yet. Probably. Draco invited me to spend Christmas with his family though."

Harry's heart sank. He'd seen the look in Draco's eyes whenever Chloe was around. And a relationship between a Riddle and a Malfoy made a lot more sense than one between a Riddle and a Potter. "Oh. _Draco_-"

"It's not like that." Chloe rolled her eyes and nudged Harry.

"Does he know that?" Harry was sure that Draco fancied Chloe and he trusted Draco about as much as he trusted Severus Snape, which was to say, not at all.

"Harry," she sighed. "I just don't want to spend Christmas alone. Not after Grandma."

A sour feeling settled in Harry's stomach. If he didn't stay at Hogwarts for the break, Chloe would go spend Christmas with Draco Malfoy and his family of Death Eaters. He couldn't let that happen.

"I understand. Maybe I can stay. I'll talk to Ron. Okay?" He brushed the hair away from her face. She kissed him hard.

"Thanks, Harry."

"Now I've still got forty minutes to kill before Potions." His arms wrapped around Chloe's waist and he pulled her back into his lap.

Harry had almost been late for potions, squeaking into his seat at the last minute. Snape was glaring at him, but that was nothing new.

He sat between Ron and Hermione and began to measure out a few of the potion ingredients, his mind still on his conversation with Chloe.

"Ron, I need to talk to you about something," whispered Harry.

"What's that, mate?"

"I'm thinking of staying here instead of going, you know, _home _for Christmas." He didn't know what else to call Grimmauld Place when there were other people around.

"Are you mad? You'd rather stay here with Umbridge and Snape than spend the holiday with _everyone,_ especially Padfoot. I know Dad has been wanting to see you and thank you." Harry had a vision that something was happening to Mr. Weasley. A vision that saved his life, but terrified Harry. There was something wrong with him and he didn't know what it was.

"He doesn't need to thank me."

"I just don't get it Harry. Seriously, are you out of your mind? Come home and spend Christmas with your family-"

"But."

"Before you you say you don't have family. You do. Family's about more than who had sex with who," Ron said this a little too loudly. Thankfully, Snape had drifted out of the classroom for a moment or that would have ended badly.

"Ron!" snapped Hermione, finally looking up from her potion.

"What? It is."

Hermione pursed her lips, then turned to Harry. "Ron may be _crude_, but he's right, Harry. Everyone will miss you. Especially Padfoot."

Harry hadn't realized that Hermione was listening in, but then again it was like Hermione knew everything. It was just the way she was. And they were both right. No matter what he felt for Chloe, he needed the Order right now. And his friends. And everything and anything normal. But how was he going to tell Chloe?

It was the last meeting of Dumbledore's Army before break. Harry was so glad he had decided to start the group. Besides Chloe Riddle, it was the only thing that brought him any happiness. But now the meeting was over and everyone was filtering out through the door.

"Merry Christmas, Chloe," said Hermione as she passed by Chloe and met up with Ron.

"You too, Hermione," replied Chloe. Harry was glad to see the two of them getting along.

"You two go on without me," said Harry to Ron and Hermione.

"Look. Everyone's gone." She grinned and slid up to him, her small hands gripping his sweater. He considered not telling her and kissing her instead, but he knew what he needed to do.

"Chloe, I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I can't stay here for Christmas."

"Oh. Why not?"

"There are some people I need to see. Stuff I can't do here. I'm sorry."

Chloe released her grip on his sweater, the pink blush in her cheeks gone as she stared down at the ground. "It's fine. I get it. Have a good Christmas, Harry," she mumbled.

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She half-smiled. "Merry Christmas, Chloe."

A few days later, Harry was lying on the couch in the living room of Grimmauld Place, staring up at the ceiling. All he could think about was Chloe and wonder what she was doing. If she was with Malfoy.

"Okay. What's going on?" said Sirius. Harry bolted upright. He hadn't seen his godfather come in.

"Nothing, Sirius," sighed Harry.

"Nothing?"

Harry thought of a lie because he wasn't going to talk about Chloe. "Just worried about Voldemort."

"I've seen that look before and it's not a Voldemort look." Sirius plopped down beside him on the couch. "That's a girl look. Your father used to get the same one every time he thought about your mother."

Was it really that obvious?

"She's just. I don't know. I shouldn't think about her the way I do, but I can't help it."

"There's nothing wrong with liking someone Harry. Is it Cho? The girl who was with Cedric Diggory last year. I heard Ron saying-"

"No. It's not Cho. Can we not talk about who she is?"

"Okay, Harry. Remember I'm here if you want to tell me." Sirius patted him on the back, then stood.

"Sirius."

"Yes?" Sirius turned around, his lips stretched into a grin.

"Can I ask you a question about something else?"

"Sure."

"Did you know Voldemort had a wife?"

His eyes became distant, sort of cloudy. "Yes. I... knew her actually."

"You knew her?"

"We all did."

"How?"

Sirius ran his hand through his long black hair. "Harry, she was a member of the Order of Phoenix. Came back from America few years before... everything. After Voldemort fell, she disappeared. Never heard from again. Until her granddaughter showed up out of nowhere and started going to Hogwarts. By the way, have you spoken to her?"

_Spoken to her. Kissed her. Touched her. Held her. Desired her._

"Yeah."

"What's she like?" asked Sirius.

"She's a character." It was true. There were so many facets to Chloe. So many colors. Harry's mind drifted somewhere else. Sirius coughed, bringing him back the present. "What?"

"You've got that look again."

"What look?" asked Harry.

"The girl look. You got a crush on baby You-Know-Who?" Sirius laughed. He was kidding and had no idea that he had landed right on top of the truth.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius," said Harry. It wasn't really a lie. Fancying Chloe Riddle was ridiculous. It was true, but ridiculous.

Sirius helped Harry to his feet. "Come on. Molly's making hot chocolate."

* * *

Malfoy Manor was not as cold as she expected. Little fairy lights hung from the corners of the sitting room where Chloe was hunched over a pile of Christmas ornaments spread out on the coffee table. A huge evergreen tree, wrapped in tinsel, rested in the center of the large circular space.

"I brought up another box," said Draco as he came back through the door. He sat it down on the floor next to Chloe, then fell down beside her on the couch with a grin.

"Where did your family get all of these?" she asked. There were beautiful shining ornaments constructed of every precious gem and metal. She unwrapped a golden heart and placed it on the table.

"We collected a lot of them over the years. Or they were gifts. We each get a new one every year as well. See here's mine from when I was three, I think." Draco held a tiny little dragon that had been charmed to flap it's scaly wings and blow little silver sparkles instead of fire.

"Aww. It's adorable."

"It's not adorable. It's terrifying." His eyes narrowed but Chloe could tell he was kidding.

"Whatever you say, Draco."

She'd only been at Malfoy Manor for a day now and hadn't seen her grandfather. (Supposedly, he was out on business whatever that meant.) Most of her time was spent with Draco. She was beginning to like him a lot more than she had. But not like _that_. Harry had nothing to worry about. He was still all she thought about. What was he doing now?

"Did you... have any traditions, for Christmas I mean?" Draco said as they continued unwrapping the ornaments and setting them out on the table to be hung later.

"Grandma and I used to watch those old claymation cartoons from like the fifties, I think. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town – and my favorite, A Year Without a Santa Claus," said Chloe, her mind drifting back to the cold winter nights she'd spent with her grandma. Draco had a blank but polite look on his face. She'd forgotten that he had been sheltered from all things muggle. "You have no idea what I'm talking about."

"No. Sorry. Sounds fun though." He smiled.

"It was. We'll have to watch them sometime." She smiled back at him.

A thin, almost too-thin, woman swept into the room as if she was following the trail of a butterfly. Her mind seemed pre-occupied with something. She had bright, crazed eyes and wild black hair so curled she looked as if she had been shocked by lightning. Chloe had seen the witch's picture in the _Daily Prophet. _Bellatrix Lestrange. (She'd also heard some pretty unsavory things about Bellatrix from Grandma.)

"Aunt Bellatrix," said Draco, his body tensing.

"Hello Draco. Your father would like to see you in the foyer." Her voice sounded like the hiss of a thousand snakes. Chloe's palms started to sweat.

"Come on, Chloe." Draco reached out a hand to help Chloe up. Her hand was about to fall into his when-

"Your father would like to see you _alone,_" snapped Bellatrix.

Draco looked at me, his face flushed with red. "I'll be right back." He scurried out of the room.

"Hello," said Chloe, trying to sound somewhat polite. She didn't really like to judge people she hadn't met before.

"Hello, half-blood," she sneered, showing off her crooked, yellowing teeth. Were they starting to mold?

Chloe stared straight into Bellatrix's crazed eyes. "Hello, Needs-A-Dentist."

"Excuse me?"

"I thought we were calling people by random physical characteristics." Chloe really hated when people were referred to by their blood status. Maybe Chloe should have been quicker to judge this time.

"I don't know what you think you're doing here." Bellatrix leaned in and she smelled like dirt and body odor and cigarettes. It made Chloe want to vomit.

"You mean unwrapping Christmas ornaments? Aw. Look. It's a fake little silver wand." Deflect with humor. That was one of Chloe Riddle's favorite strategies though she wasn't sure it was working with this particular witch.

"Listen. I didn't trust your grandmother and I don't trust you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"When's the last time you took a shower? Or is being clean a muggle activity?"

Bellatrix was only an inch away from her now, black eyes shining like little bits of crushed onyx. "I don't know who you think you are."

"I think I'm Lord Voldemort's granddaughter." Suddenly, Chloe felt less humorous and more... stubborn, prideful... maybe just angry.

"How dare you use that name!" She spat. Literally spat. Chloe had a disgusting spray of saliva across her cheek.

"He's my grandfather. I can call him whatever I want. He's just your – what is he to you?" Chloe shot up from the sofa, face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange.

"My lord is everything to me."

_Well, that's a little pathetic._

"I think you have some self esteem issues you might want to deal with."

"That's enough from you, you filthy half-blood. I do not appreciate disloyalty to the Dark Lord. Do you understand what I'm saying to you-" Her voice was sharp, cruel. Chloe knew a threat when she heard one.

"Bellatrix. Enough." A cold voice rattled the room, shaking the branches of the Christmas tree. Bellatrix froze.

"I'm so sorry, my Lord. My apologizes." She got down on his knees and crawled to his robes kissing his feet. His robes? His feet?

"Yes. That'll do. Just leave," he said. Bellatrix ran from the room.

Chloe was backing up slowly. He was more terrible than she had imagined. His skin was whiter than bone, his eyes a terrible, blinding red. His body draped in robes that seemed to have a movement, a life of their own.

That couldn't be. But it was. It was her grandfather. Lord Voldemort.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Then he looked down at himself, suddenly realizing his error. He had never meant for Chloe to see him like that. "Oh. Chloe, I."

All the horrible things he must have done flashed through her mind like a storm. The things he had done to Harry. _To her Harry. _"I can't – I shouldn't have – should have stayed at Hogwarts."

Chloe's hand flew to her mouth and she ran out of the sitting room and up the stairs towards the room Narcissa had shown her earlier. Behind her Tom was calling.

"Chloe stop. Chloe come back here. Come on."

But she wasn't listening. Not now.

Chloe slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. She threw herself onto the bed. She wasn't crying. She was just livid, frustrated, confused.

She laid there thinking of her grandmother and missing her. Wishing she was at home, that this year was like every other year before. She was in her room about half an hour before she heard a sharp knock at the door.

"Chloe it's your grandfather," the voice said.

"Just go away please." She shoved her face in the pillow.

"Open the door."

"No," she shouted.

"Open it or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Chloe sat up, feeling even angrier if that were possible.

She heard a female cough outside the door and she was sure it wasn't Bellatrix. It was probably Draco's mom.

Tom sighed. "Nothing. I'm – I'm... I wish you hadn't seen that." There was a long pause before he started talking again. "When your grandma and I had just gotten married, we didn't have much, but we were renting this little apartment in a terrible muggle neighborhood. It was basically falling to pieces. I was using every spell I could think of to hold it together, but I swear on Salazar Slytherin that thing was impervious to all magic. I felt like... like a failure. I hadn't provided for her the way I wanted to, the way she deserved. I was so angry at myself, at everything. When Jane came home, she said something I'll never forget. 'What are you moping about? Things aren't all that bad. We still have ice cream'."

Chloe felt hot tears start to streak down her cheeks. Every time something bad would happen to her, Grandma would go into the freezer and pull out a tub of ice cream. She always said it was the greatest cure of all. Muggle or Magic. Slowly, Chloe stood up from the bed and opened the door.

On the other side, it wasn't the freaky snake like thing she'd seen earlier. But the brown haired, blue eyed man that looked so much like her.

Chloe felt her legs weaken as she stood near him. He had known Grandma. He _missed_ her. Being close to him was, in a strange way, like being close to her. Chloe let her head fall into his chest. His hand raised stiffly and tangled in her hair. Tom pulled Chloe into his chest as she sobbed.

Eventually, Chloe pulled away and looked up at him, feeling stupid for crying like that in front of him. Cold fingers wiped away her tears.

"You know. I've got ice cream," said Tom.

Chloe sniffled. "Mint chocolate chip?" That had always been Grandma and her favorite type of ice cream.

"Of course."

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really enjoy writing scenes between Chloe and Voldemort and exploring their relationship. Also some more Potter/Riddle kisses which is always fun. Please let me know what you think :) You're all awesome!**


	8. Secrets and Letters

It was strange coming back to Hogwarts after break. If it were possible, the school felt darker, heavier than when Harry had left. He'd already been there for a day and hadn't even seen Chloe. What was he going to say to her? "Hey how was your Christmas with a the so-called Slytherin sex god and your grandfather who murdered my parents?" He'd been sitting in transfiguration, hearing Professor McGonagall, but not really taking in anything she said. He was so going to fail his OWLs.

Once class ended, Harry ditched Hermione and Ron. He felt bad about it, but he needed to see Chloe. However awkward their reunion would be, he just needed to get it over with.

Harry hung out by the Slytherin corridor, hoping that Chloe would pass by. He slid into the shadows when he heard laughter.

"I'll bet you five galleons," said a drawling voice Harry knew only too well. Draco Malfoy.

"You already owe me twenty."

"Whatever Riddle."

Heat rushed to Harry's face. It made him sick to think about Chloe and Malfoy as friends. Though it was an inevitable turn of events.

Chloe's eyes met Harry's briefly then she turned to Malfoy. "I'll catch you at lunch. And you better have my twenty galleons."

He smirked. "How could I ever say no to you." With that, Malfoy disappeared down the hallway.

"What was that?" asked Harry, his voice sounding more accusatory than he wanted it to.

"Not what you think."

"It seemed like you were getting chummy with Malfoy."

"Besides you, Draco is my only friend. And the only one I have in my own house. So can you please just drop it?"

"Fine. I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Chloe grinned and stepped closer to him, causing Harry's heartbeat to speed. "I'll bet I can think of a way for you to make it up to me."

Her soft lips pressed against his, silencing any protests he may have had. As soon as she kissed him, he couldn't remember any of them anyway. All that existed was her sweet scent and her touch and the quiet way she'd purr when he'd bite on her bottom lip.

"I've got to go to class," she whispered against his mouth.

Her fingers ran down his arm as she backed away from Harry and disappeared just the way Malfoy had.

Harry leaned against the wall, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

"Harry?" said Hermione as she stepped into the light. "What was that?"

"Uh" was all he could manage to say.

"That was - you were - I know what I saw." She huffed, her arms crossing over her chest.

Harry swallowed. "I thought you and Chloe were getting along."

Hermione's lips pursed, looking thoughtful, but then again Hermione always looked thoughtful. "We were… I mean… I was just being polite. But Harry, you, you had your tongue down her throat!" She looked horrified.

His face flushed with blood and heat and the memory of Chloe's mouth tangled with his. "It wasn't down her throat." In her mouth was not the same as down her throat. He would stand by that, if anyone asked.

"This is a bad idea. That better have been a one time thing." Hermione pointed her finger at Harry and for a second he felt small like he did on Privet Drive. No. He couldn't let anyone, not even Hermione make him feel like that. Harry pushed her finger away.

"It's not a one time thing. It's been going on for months. And I have no plans on stopping."

Hermione's mouth dropped, her ears Gryffindor red. You would have thought he'd just shown her a Dark Mark emblazoned on his forearm. "Harry it's dangerous. You can't trust her."

"I do trust her," said Harry, without thinking, without weighing the logic, the options, the reason. He did trust her and maybe it was crazy and stupid and reckless, but that didn't make it less true.

"Harry!"

"Please, Hermione. She makes me happy. She's the one thing left that does. Don't tell anyone." Harry grabbed her hand in his, feeling the cuts and the callouses from the millions of book pages that had touched her fingers. So familiar. So Hermione. "Promise me you'll keep this between us."

She hesitated, the shaky breath escaping her lips said it would drive her mad, as mad as she thought he was, but she would keep his secret because they were best friends and that was what best friends did. Hermione didn't even have to say it. Harry could read it in her eyes and the slight curve of her lip.

"You and Riddle?" a voice spat from nowhere, a voice that sent nauseating rush through Harry. He searched for the source in the darkness.

Pansy Parkinson.

* * *

Chloe sat curled on a sofa in the Slytherin common room. The black leather felt cold against her bare shoulders, the strap of her top sliding down. She had her potions book open on her lap but she wasn't reading it. Her mind was somewhere else. Somewhere with Harry's arms wrapped around her and his breath on her neck.

Draco laid beside her, his head on the opposite arm rest, and his bare feet against her leg. She could hear him slowly breathing out and watched as his grey eyes fluttered shut, and his breathing turned to a light, melodic snoring. It was a sound she'd grown used to over the holidays.

Suddenly the common room door burst open and Pansy exploded into the room. Her breaths came in heavy pants, her hair stuck out at ridiculous angles. She coughed loudly, waking Draco.

"Huh, what?" said Draco, adjusting to consciousness.

"Pansy why do you look like you just go chased by mountain troll?" asked Chloe with a sigh.

"Oh, just because I've been running all over school. I had to tell everyone. I by everyone, I mean, everyone."

"Tell them what?" asked Draco through a yawn.

"Oh, just who the so-called chosen one has been knocking boots with, is all."

Chloe's stomach clenched. Then she realized it wasn't just her stomach. It was her whole body, every inch of her, twisted and tightened and hurt.

"The mudblood or the baby blood traitor?" Draco laughed. Hermione or Ginny. Chloe knew his language. And she knew Hermione and Ginny. It wasn't either one of them.

"Wrong, Draco, dear," she said. "It's much more scandalous than all that."

Chloe hung tightly to the possibility that Pansy had gotten it wrong. She almost wished Pansy had seen something like Harry kissing Cho Chang. But no… that would be worse than everyone knowing.

The question was this. Would she let Pansy expose her, give her that kind of power, or… Riddle's didn't give power to anyone.  
"Me." Chloe shot up from the sofa. "Harry and I are together."

Draco's face pinched, even more so than usual. She expected him to yell at her, to call her a blood traitor, call her anything, but he didn't, he just sat there looking hurt and, oh Merlin, heartbroken.

"Draco, I," she said, but it wasn't any use. Chloe shot a venomous glare at Pansy and stalked out of the common room.  
The minute she stepped into a busy corridor, everyone stopped, all eyes turned to her. She hated when people stared. Why did they have to do that?

Chloe pointed her gaze at her feet and hurried out of the hallway. She just wanted to find Harry, to see how he was dealing.  
It was about dinner so Chloe made her way to the Great Hall, avoiding the judging glances along the way. The minute she stepped into the room, Harry's eyes lifted to hers. Like he could feel her come in.

Suddenly, an owl came swooping down through the ceiling. No two owls - and owls weren't supposed to come at night. But they were here and the owls flew one at Harry and one at her.

Holding her breath, Chloe untied the letter from the owls leg. She broke the seal and read the words.

Dearest Chloe,

I've just heard news of your relationship with Harry Potter. This is an unwise association indeed. Thankfully, your grandfather is currently out of town on business, allowing us time to right this situation before it is too late. Please be sensible and end any and all communication with Potter.

Truly,  
N.M

Chloe's mouth was dry. As she'd opened it, she'd expected a letter from Tom not from Draco's mom. She wasn't sure which was worse. For some reason, she expected to lift her eyes and see Harry gazing back at her, that frenzied Gryffindor bravery blazing in his eyes, challenging her to love him anyway, despite the risk, despite everyone knowing. But when she looked up, all she saw was Harry, expressionless and tucking into his dinner plate.

Who was his letter from?

**Sorry it has been so long, folks! I've been devoting all of my time to my original novel, which is nearly finished now, so hopefully I will have more time for fanfics for awhile. I've missed you all and missed my Harry and Chloe. Hope you enjoyed reading. Please review! I love to know how I'm doing.**


	9. Cowards and Leaders

Just don't look at her, thought Harry. If I don't look at her, it's not true. We can still slip away into the dark corners of Hogwarts, let our hands run across each other's bodies, we can still disappear.

If he looked at her, everything became real and he wasn't ready for that.

Ron leaned over. "Who's the letter from mate?"

Harry swallowed the chewed roast beef in his mouth but it tasted like sand. He put his hand over his mouth to cover what he said from everyone but Ron, "Padfoot."

"About her?"

Harry drew in a deep breath and nodded. He took another bite of meat, hoping he'd got his taste back but he hadn't.

Hermione's hand fell against his shoulder. A part of him wanted to shrug it off. It wasn't her fault everyone knew and he wasn't even mad at her, he just didn't want to be touched unless it was by Chloe and that wasn't an option anymore.

"It's going to be fine," she whispered.

No it wasn't.

"How did Padfoot even know?" asked Ron.

Harry hadn't thought about that. Rumors traveled fast around Hogwarts, but how did a rumor get all the way to Grimmauld Place if it didn't come from Hermione and Ron... Snape. It was always Snape.

Something swirled around inside him, growing hotter and more out of control by the second. Every hex and jinx he'd ever learned flashed through his mind. Snape just couldn't mind his own business.

"Oh," said Ron.

Harry stared down at his plate that had a few bites missing, but was mostly the result of him swirling his fork through the meat and potatoes.

"Harry?"

His stomach lurched. It was Chloe.

He looked up to see those startling blue eyes burning into him and her fingers fidgeting with her green tie.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"I, uh, I don't know."

The words of Sirius's letter repeated in his head. The only words that would have made a difference to him.

_Do you realize how much danger you're putting that girl in?_

How selfish had Harry been to not have thought of that before? He'd been so concerned about himself that he'd never thought of what would happen to Chloe if Voldemort found out she was with him? It's not like Voldemort would be opposed to hurting his own granddaughter to get to Harry.

"Please Harry." She leaned down and strand of her hair brushing against his cheek. He hesitated then pushed it away.

"Just go, Chloe."

She stared right back at Harry. "No."

"He asked you to leave." Harry heard a voice say behind them. It turned to see Cho Chang, arms folded across her chest.

"Cho," said Harry.

"This is none of your business," snapped Chloe.

Harry stood, his heart pounding. The last thing he needed was a girl fight in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Everyone calm down."

"Harry, we can't just walk away from this."

He swallowed, wishing this moment hadn't come. More than anything he wanted to twist his fingers into her hair and pull her mouth to his and kiss her until they passed out. But he couldn't put her in danger. In that moment with the tears he saw in her eyes and freckles across her nose and they way she'd sing under her breath in class, he knew he was in love with Chloe Riddle.

And because he loved her, he had to break her heart.

"From what?" asked Harry, his tone as cruel as he could make it. "It was one kiss. It didn't mean anything."

What he wanted to say was that it meant everything to him. That he'd never forget it, but he had to keep her safe.

"Harry what are you talking about?"

Harry shook. He couldn't keep this up much longer.

"You heard him." Cho's hand wrapped around his arm, making his skin crawl. How did he used to like her? Honestly, she wasn't that bad. He knew that but when you were in love with someone else... "Don't embarrass yourself, sweetie." Cho smiled.

The muscles in Chloe's neck tensed and she bit her bottom lip. A small tear trickled out of her eye but she quickly wiped it away. Their eyes held for a moment and Harry wished he could tell her everything he truly thought about her in that one look, but it didn't work like that.

When she turned away, Harry gripped tighter to Cho not because he wanted to, but because if he hadn't he would have fallen down.

Chloe stopped and slowly spun on her heel, her back held high. "You're a coward, Harry Potter." And this time, she turned around and never looked back.

Chloe rested on the crest of the hill that overlooked the black lake. She remembered months ago when she'd learned of her grandmother's death, sitting in this same spot, tears burning her eyes and cheeks, when Harry had laid a warm hand on her shoulder.

Her arms wrapped around her knees as she tried to squeeze away the memory, but it did not work. A part of her still wished that Harry would come out of the castle and take a seat beside her. If only that were true, but it wasn't. It was only a matter of time before Harry saw her for what she was: a murderer's heir.

Apparently, that time had come.

She heard a cough behind her. She jumped, turning around to see who it was. Draco Malfoy was making his way toward her, the cold wind painting pink on his pale cheeks.

"May I sit?" he asked his voice unusually soft, like laundered pillows.

"I guess," said Chloe.

With a half smile, Draco settled down beside her. "It's bloody freezing out here."

"You can go inside if you're cold."

He let out a breath that materialized in the cold, drifting away into the starry evening. "You had to have seen this coming."

"I never gave it much thought."

Draco's brow furrowed. "That's unlike you."

"What is?"

"Not giving something much thought."

Draco was not wrong. Chloe had made some short sighted and flawed decisions just to hold on to her relationship with Harry. Still, she thought, she would make all those same choices, wrong or not, again, if provided the chance. "Have you ever loved someone you shouldn't?" Chloe blurted.

His eyes were a sharp silver, like the steel of a blade, as he looked at her. "Every day."

A heat rushed to her cheeks. Was he... he couldn't be talking about her, could he? "Draco, I..."

"Don't," he said. "I'll wait." As Draco stood, he placed a kiss just below her hairline, then drew his woolen coat in tight around his frame as he left a trail of footprints back to the castle in the freshly fallen snow.

Chloe did her best to hide her face as she returned to the Slytherin common room. The sound of whispers and laughter floated through the air like potion fumes. She made her way to her room, thankful that neither Daphne nor any of the others had come to bed yet. With a sigh, she flopped down on the comforter. Today had been long. Painful and long and it felt like it would never end, but yet the minutes ticked by as usual, and midnight approached.

Directly in front of her bed, rested an ornate iron mirror that shimmered and glistened with a cleaning charm that one of the house elves must have placed on the glass. Chloe sat up and looked at herself in the mirror. The whites of her eyes burned red with her attempts to hold back tears, her hair was tied back in a messy braid. Her uniform hung loosely on her frame. Everything about her looked vacant, generic. A disguise meant to hide who she really was.

But who was she?

Chloe Riddle, but what did that mean? Even she didn't know anymore. As long as she had Potter, it was easy to hold on to him. To focus on his problems, his identity as the chosen one and forget about herself, but if he didn't want her, she wouldn't be able to hide behind him anymore.

She laid back on her pillow, still dressed, her mind racked with conflicting thoughts and desires and the reality that she had no where safe to turn.

The next morning Chloe didn't want to get out of bed, but she did anyway because she wasn't the kind of person who just gave up, even if she didn't know what she was fighting for anymore.

The halls were filled with unkind looks and gossipy whispers but if she kept her eyes trained on her feet, and her mind reciting the ingredients to the sleeping draught, she could block them out. Sure. She would do that for the next few months then when summer hit, she'd make a run back to America; and if the Salem Institute of Magic wouldn't let her back in, she'd live like a muggle. Grandma did it when she left Tom. Chloe could do it now.

_You don't exist. You don't exist. You don't exist._

If she kept telling herself that, eventually she would make it true enough that she could survive her remaining time at Hogwarts.

Divination was the worst. It was nearly impossible to keep from looking at Harry. There were hard lines written across his face, a darkness in his eyes. He looked less like a person and more like one of the suits of armor in the corridors. Chloe wanted to run her hands through his hair, press her lips against his, hold him until he melted and became warm and beautiful and alive again. But she couldn't want that anymore because he didn't want her.

After class, Chloe made her way toward the Slytherin common room, weaving her way around the mass of housemates that were crowding in the corridor.

"What are you doing down here Longbottom?" Pansy's screeching voice rang through the hallways. Chloe's feet picked up pace.

"I – I need to see Professor Snape-" Neville's voice shook. Chloe didn't understand why Neville was so afraid. He'd been really improving in the DA. Pansy was a total idiot. He could take her... then again, it wasn't just her. It was the majority of Slytherin house.

"A filthy blood traitor gets what he gets when he comes down here," said Pansy. It wasn't funny, but everyone laughed. Chloe's heart beat quickly, angrily. Even if she was pissed at Harry, Neville had been nothing but kind and generous, albeit a little shy.

"Just let me go," replied Neville, his voice trying to find its footing.

"I don't think so," said Pansy. "I think you're destined to go out just the way your parents did."

Something snapped in Chloe. "Shut the hell up!" she shouted, storming toward Pansy, the crowd parting toward her. That other, reckless part of her clamored to the surface, pushing away her inhibitions.

"What? You think being nice to Potter's pathetic friend will make him like you again?" her lips pouted.

"Chloe, it's fine," said Neville, breathing heavily. Chloe's eyes flashed to him. His jaw trembled but he didn't look away.

"You're not helping, Neville. And Pansy, I think it's best you leave."

Pansy snorted and her gang of her girls followed with their own chorus of giggles. "Your last name doesn't automatically put you in charge." Her wand pointed at Chloe.

"I'd re-think that move if I were you." Chloe didn't even reach toward her wand. She didn't have to. She simply flicked her hand and Pansy's wand sailed from her grip and clattered into the wall. A sudden silence filled the corridor.

Something swelled in Chloe, ambition maybe, the Slytherin pride. She scanned the rest of the onlookers. "If anyone else would like to challenge my authority, please step forward." Her back straightened, her voice strong, never faltering. Nobody said a word. She turned to Neville, "Next time you need to come down here alone, you arrange it with me first. I can't be responsible for what happens if you don't do that."

He nodded slightly, his brow drawn together in confusion. With a deep breath, Chloe turned to watch Neville leave, just to see Harry staring back at her. Instead of averting her eyes, running away or pretending she wasn't there, Chloe held her gaze without flinching. She was done feeling ashamed.

She was a Riddle and, as she looked at her fellow housemates, she knew she had a responsibility to them; whether she liked it or not, they looked to her as their leader. It was time to be one.

**Thanks for reading. Please leave a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**


	10. Sneaks and Birthdays

The pressure was weighing down on Harry harder than ever. The DA still served as an escape for him but it was on longer the safe. He loved seeing Chloe there, helping her if she needed it which she rarely did. But she wasn't the kind of person afraid to ask for her, afraid to look weak.

Since he'd seen her help Neville, Harry had had even a harder time getting her out of his head. The Chloe he'd first met was shy and embarrassed, except for those few moments when she'd stand up for something like in Umbridge's class and Trelawney's. There was power in her but she'd held it back, never asserted it, until that day in the dungeon corridor.

He could feel it in the air, a change in the power dynamics.

Chloe no longer walked alone in the hallway but flanked by two or three other Slytherin students, including and most often, Malfoy. Every time he saw them he wanted to go over and punch Draco in the face. He had never felt so jealous in his life.

She looked different too. Her hair was always smooth and straight, her eyes held forward, her clothes lint-free and impeccably pressed. Every where she went a powerful presence seemed to go with her. He thought about what it must have been like to go to school with Tom Riddle. Maybe there was more Voldemort in her than he liked to be believe.

They were sitting in the Great Hall. Harry could not help but glance over to the Slytherin table. He knew he was wrong about it but he still swore he saw Chloe looking at him every once in a while. Harry humiliated her in front of the school. There was absolutely no chance she didn't hate him – and all her new friends had hated him for years.

"I'm surprised she hadn't outed the DA to Umbridge," said Ron, taking a bite of food.

"Chloe hates Umbridge more than I do. She wouldn't tell her anything," replied Harry.

"Is that why she's not on the Inquisitorial Squad?" asked Ginny.

"That and don't think there are any circumstances under which Chloe would find it acceptable to snoop on people and rat them out," said Harry, pushing his food around on his plate. He did not want to admit how much he missed Chloe but it seemed to be on every word he said.

"I kind of miss her too, Harry." Hermione half-smiled. Harry was thankful for Hermione, for how understanding and perceptive she was. The world was unfair. Everything Harry cared about got taken away from him and he was tired of it but there was nothing he could do.

They had a DA meeting that night. They were in the middle of working on some new defensive spells when the heard the door open. Everyone was there – except.

"Chloe?"

"You need to get out of here. Now. Umbridge is coming."

"Why would we listen to you?" snapped Cho.

"Because it's your idiot friend who turned you in."

The DA turned to look at him, waiting for an answer. Harry's eyes connected with Chloe's and he knew she was telling the truth.

"Come on."

There was an enormous knock on the wall, cracking it. Everyone gasped.

"Great timing, Riddle," grumbled Cho.

Chloe ignored Cho and looked at me. "I just found out. I came as soon as could."

Harry paused. "That's more than you had to do."

"My name's on the parchment anyway. I'm with you guys whether you like it or not."

"We don't like it," snapped Cho.

"Seriously - what is wrong with you?" Chloe breathed, her arms crossed. Harry swallowed, even now, when everything was falling apart, he still noticed how beautiful she looked, how strong.

In seconds, Umbridge and her gang were inside the Room, surprise on the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad's face when they saw Chloe among the rest of Dumbledore's Army.

* * *

"Are you insane?" asked Draco later than night in the common room. "If your grandfather finds out."

"Just shut up, Draco. I don't really care what my grandfather knows."

"Well that's stupid."

Chloe shot to her feet. "Don't talk to me like that. You're my friend and, you know, so are a lot of them."

"You can't have it both ways, Chloe."

"Why not?" It was a question that a million answers which was why Chloe was not surprised when Draco did not answer but just stared back at her. Still, she had been part of Dumbledore's Army and even if he was acting like a jerk, she still cared deeply for Harry – she may have even loved him.

Groaning, Chloe collapsed down on the couch, running her hands over her face. She was glad that no one was in the common room but her and Draco. She'd already dealt with the fallout from people like Pansy who saw her being on the DA as some kind of treachery. But it wasn't hard to scare them into following her, though it wasn't a tactic she liked to resort to.

"It's my birthday this weekend," she said, remembering suddenly.

"I know," said Draco. "I was supposed to ask you – your grandfather he wanted you to come by on your birthday."

She was surprised to hear that. Chloe didn't take Tom for much of a birthday kind of guy. Grandma has always made a huge deal out of it but that was just who she was. There was a pang of sadness inside her. Chloe had never felt so alone, she needed family.

"I'll be there," she sighed.

Draco leaned in quickly and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad. Good night, Chloe."

"Night, Draco."

That Saturday with a deep breath, Chloe stepped into Malfoy Manor. A heavy darkness hung over the foyer like an overcast cloud. Cobwebs had formed in the uppermost corners of the ceiling and Chloe wondered why no one had yet to take a wand to the dust. They probably had more important things on their hands. Her stomach twisted at the thought.

Her steps echoed as she descended down the narrow corridor. "Hello?"she called out. No one replied. "Hello!"

"Back here," a dry voice answered from further down the hallway. Chloe picked up the pace, finally noticing a light glowing. She skidded around the corner into a dining room.

The chandelier was lit with candles but other than that the room was drab and blank. A grey dining room table ran nearly the length of the room and the walls and floor were black. Sitting in a chair at the end of the table was her grandfather in jeans and a button-up shirt. A part of her wanted to ask why he took the time to look different for her but she was thankful that he did, so she said nothing.

"Happy Birthday, Chloe," said Tom.

Chloe's gaze drifted to the table – and she laughed.

"What?" asked Tom, an eyebrow lifted.

Her hands went to her mouth. She could not believe what she saw on the table.

A bag of un-inflated balloons. Two rolls of green streamers. And a box – yes a box – of confetti cake mix.

_Confetti _cake mix.

"Um. It's lovely," she said, smiling a little too much. "I love it."

Tom's head fell back. "Narcissa said this is what... oh, no I was supposed to..."

"Take the streamers out of the plastic wrap? Yeah. But this is cool-" Chloe picked up the roll of streamers and examined it.

There was a long pause. "You don't have to stay," said Tom.

She considered leaving but only briefly. She had no place else to go and the truth was there was no where else she even remotely wanted to be. Smiling, this time genuinely, Chloe tore open the bag of balloons and chucked them at Tom. He caught the bag with one hand.

"Blow," she said.

His brow furrowed. "Excuse me."

"Blow up the balloons. We're going to have ourselves a party."

Chloe unrolled the streamer and used a sticking charm to get the green paper to stay attached to the walls. It didn't do much to cheer up the place but the balloons that Tom was blowing up in the corner helped as the piled on the table and spilled on to the floor. Balloons of every color. Red. Green. Yellow. Blue.

"This looks," said Tom with his eyes wide.

"I like it. Teamwork. We built it with our own hands – like mountain men."

"We are like mountain men, aren't we?" Tom laughed and there were moments when Chloe could see what her grandmother had seen in this man all those years ago. His sense of humor was also much like Grandma's, which made it easy for them to make each other laugh.

"Now, we just have a cake to make."

With a half-smile, Tom stood from his chair, stepping over the balloons and into the hallway. The kitchen was down the next flight of stairs, in the basement. Chloe had been there during Christmas – late nights eating cookie dough with Draco or mint chocolate chip ice cream with Tom.

The kitchen was the only white area in the house. It sparkled as perfectly clean as her grandma's kitchen had always been, though unlike Grandma's, there were no tulips in windows or lace napkins in the drawers. It was utilitarian to say the least.

Chloe grabbed a dozen eggs out of the refrigerator and laid them on the counter.

"Do we need flour?" asked Tom who was pulling it out of a cabinet and setting it on the counter.

"I think box takes place of the flour."

"Oh. I already pulled it down."

"That's okay," said Chloe. "We can always use it for this."

"For what?"

Her fingers pinched the soft white powder and flicked a little at Tom's face. As soon as she did it, she realized how absolutely crazy it was. Whether he looked like it or not the man standing before her was Lord Voldemort.

There was no reaction on his face. He didn't even move to wipe away the flour. He simply stuck his hand in the bag and grabbed a handful.

"What are you-" Chloe backed up. "You should re-think this."

With a sly smile, Tom tossed the huge handful of flour right at her. She stood there stunned, as the cloud settled around her.

She grabbed another handful of flour and tossed it at him. For the first time since Harry and her started fighting, she laughed and then she heard something she hadn't heard before. Her grandfather laughed.

What on earth is going on?Chloe heard a familiar drawl. Draco was standing in the doorway, mouth agape. It had to be a strange sight.. The Dark Lord and his only granddaughter having a flour fight in the kitchen of Malfoy Manor.

Tom snatched another handful of flour and threw it at Draco, covering his black shirt in snowy white. Then Tom pointed at Chloe, who decided if she was going to be accused of something she might as well commit the infraction. She grabbed an egg out of the carton and threw it at a still stunned Draco. The shell cracked on his shoulder, spilling the yolk.

Draco's frozen face flickered and he darted to the kitchen counter, grabbing the carton and tossing an egg at Chloe. It cracked on her stomach. Tom pulled open the refrigeration and removed a spray can of whipped cream. He sprayed the back of Chloe's hair. Chloe snatched the eggs from Draco and threw one at her grandfather.

It was total madness. Chaos. Laughter. Chloe hadn't had that much fun since her grandma died. She felt Draco's arm wrap around her waist and he spun her around. Eggs were thick in her hair and in Draco's. His thin hand lifted to her ear, brushing away some shell. The way he stared at her made her face flush. She knew what he was thinking, even now, even with her grandfather five feet away. But her stomach dropped as the real world came crashing back in.

Even in the moment all she could think was that she wished it were Harry. But it could never be Harry not here she couldn't have both. She wanted both. She wanted to be a Riddle and be in love with Harry Potter. Still she knew it could never be. Chloe would have to decide.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry this took so long. It was the hardest chapter for me to write for some reason, especially for the Harry section which is why it is so short. I hope to update faster. Please review. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to do that. It means a lot. **


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